Daniel Negreanu's been on the grind and making money for his backers in the first half of the 2021 WSOP. (photo courtesy: PokerGO)

Daniel Negreanu doesn’t need to sell action. Neither does Josh Arieh. Or Felipe Ramos or Jonathan Little for that matter. However, this fall, all of them (and more) have offered to sell pieces of their 2021 World Series of Poker right here on PocketFives – most with no markup. The reason they’ve done this is to give fans of the game, those who aren’t able to play themselves, a chance to sweat the action and better enjoy the WSOP’s live streams and live updates with a little extra “something” on the line.

READ: Daniel Negreanu Selling 2021 WSOP Action For Fans That Want To “Take The Ride”

It’s true, in tournament poker the majority of the time even a great player is going to hit the rail before the money. However, there are times when a small investment in a favorite “horse” can go a long way.

Take for instance those who grabbed a piece of Josh Arieh in Event #39 ($1,500 Pot Limit Omaha). Arieh, who finished 2nd in the 2019 $50,000 Poker Players Championship, knows a thing or two about mixed games. So, when he put a tiny piece of the PLO event up for grabs they were snapped up.

Over the next three days, Arieh posted pics of his chips as they turned from a starting stack into a mountain. He went from just another player in the field to the overall chip leader. And when it was all done, Arieh claimed his third career gold bracelet and the first-place prize of $204,766.

Arieh was ecstatic but so were his backers. Ten people each purchased 1% for just $15. When it was all over, they were paid out roughly $2,000 and Arieh couldn’t be happier about it.

While making money is the goal, entertainment value is also vital. It’s been said that watching poker can be like watching paint dry. Well, only if there’s no action at stake. Like watching a football game where you have no rooting interest, if you have a fantasy player in the game or even a small side bet with a buddy, that event becomes way more interesting.

Negreanu has been paying plenty of dividends as well. He’s currently leading all players in terms of number of cashes (currently at 13). And with two final tables under his belt, Negreanu has moved into sixth place on the 2021 Player of the Year leaderboard.

For eagle-eyed viewers of his vlog with good twitch reflexes, there’s been plenty of opportunities to grab a small percentage and play along with ‘Kid Poker.’

Fans who jumped in with Negreanu early on turned a $75 investment into $137 when Negreanu finished in 10th place in the $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. for a hair over $46,000. He picked up another four cashes before he hit another five-figure score. A deep run in the $5,000 Six Max helped fans more than 4x their $20 investment and bank roughly $90.

Four days later, investors ate up the earnings once again. Negreanu made a deep run in the $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. In this event, spaces were limited and backers turned a 1% stake into a $175 score (over a 500% ROI) thanks to his 8th place finish for over $17,000.

Negreanu previously stated that his goal is to give fans something sweat, something to enjoy while tuning in to the vlogs. Over 2,500 stakers have taken him up on it and gotten in on the action so far – and the series is only halfway done.

With some of the biggest events (with the biggest paydays of the series) left to come, there’s plenty of time left to jump in. Simply sign up for an account with PocketFives, click on the Staking Menu at the top, and pick up a little action. Then follow your favorite player offering action to see when their tournament gets listed.

And if it’s Negreanu you want to sweat, follow @RealKidPoker on Twitter, watch his daily YouTube WSOP Vlog, and be ready when he gives the word.